(c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. POETRY for Students (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Advisors Jayne M. Burton is a teacher of English, a member from the University of Michigan and a master of the Delta Kappa Gamma International of fine arts degree from the University of Hous- Society for Key Women Educators, and cur- ton. She is a member of the National Council of rently a master’s degree candidate in the Teachers of English and Teachers and Writers. Interdisciplinary Study of Curriculum and She is an exam reader for Advanced Placement InstructionandEnglishatAngeloState Literature and Composition. She is also a poet, University. published in North American Review, Nimrod, Mary Beth Maggio teaches seventh grade lan- and Michigan Quarterly Review, among others. guage arts in Schaumburg, Illinois. Mary Turner holds a BS in Secondary Education Tom Shilts is the youth librarian at the Okemos from East Texas State University and a Mas- branch of Capital Area District Library in ter of Education from Western Kentucky Okemos, Michigan. He holds an MSLS degree University. She teaches English 7 and AP from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and English 12 literature and composition at an MA in U.S. History from the University of SBEC in Southaven, Mississippi. North Dakota. Brian Woerner teaches English at Troy High Amy Spade Silverman has taught at independent School in Troy, Ohio. He is also a Program schools in California, Texas, Michigan, and Associate of the Ohio Writing Project at New York. She holds a bachelor of arts degree Miami University. (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. POETRY for Students Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Poetry VOLUME 42 Sara Constantakis, Project Editor Foreword by David J. Kelly Detroit ■ New York ■ San Francisco ■ New Haven, Conn ■ Waterville, Maine ■ London (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Poetry for Students, Volume 42 ª 2013 Gale, Cengage Learning Project Editor: Sara Constantakis ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may Rights Acquisition and Management: be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, Sheila Spencer electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, Composition: Evi Abou-El-Seoud scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 Manufacturing: Rhonda Dover United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Imaging: John Watkins Since this page cannot legibly accommodate all copyright notices, the Product Design: Pamela A. E. Galbreath, acknowledgments constitute an extension of the copyright notice. Jennifer Wahi Digital Content Production: Allie Semperger For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Product Manager: Meggin Condino Gale Customer Support, 1-800-877-4253. For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions. Further permissions questions can be emailed to [email protected] While every effort has been made to ensure the reliability of the information presented in this publication, Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, does not guarantee the accuracy of the data contained herein. Gale accepts no payment for listing; and inclusion in the publication of any organization, agency, institution, publication, service, or individual does not imply endorsement of the editors or publisher. Errors brought to the attention of the publisher and verified to the satisfaction of the publisher will be corrected in future editions. Gale 27500 Drake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI, 48331-3535 ISBN-13: 978-1-4144-9503-3 ISBN-10: 1-4144-9503-X ISSN 1094-7019 This title is also available as an e-book. ISBN-13: 978-1-4144-9276-6 ISBN-10: 1-4144-9276-6 Contact your Gale, a part of Cengage Learning sales representative for ordering information. Printed in Mexico 12345671716151413 (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents ADVISORS ............ii JUST A FEW LINES ON A PAGE .....ix (by David J. Kelly) INTRODUCTION ..........xi LITERARY CHRONOLOGY .......xv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . xvii CONTRIBUTORS ......... xix ALL THINGS NOT CONSIDERED (by Naomi Shihab Nye) .........1 Author Biography . 2 Poem Summary . 2 Themes . 4 Style . 6 Historical Context . 6 Critical Overview. 8 Criticism. 8 Sources . 21 Further Reading . 22 Suggested Search Terms . 22 AUBADE (by Philip Larkin) .......23 Author Biography . 24 Poem Summary . 25 Themes . 26 Style . 28 v (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents Historical Context . 29 Themes . 102 Critical Overview. 31 Style . 104 Criticism. 31 Historical Context . 105 Sources . 39 Critical Overview. 106 Further Reading . 39 Criticism. 108 Suggested Search Terms . 39 Sources . 117 Further Reading . 117 THE AUTHOR TO HER BOOK Suggested Search Terms . 118 (by Anne Bradstreet)..........40 Author Biography . 41 INCIDENT (by Countee Cullen) ..... 119 Poem Text . 42 Author Biography . 120 Poem Summary . 42 Poem Summary . 121 Themes . 43 Themes . 122 Style . 45 Style . 124 Historical Context . 46 Historical Context . 125 Critical Overview. 48 Critical Overview. 127 Criticism. 48 Criticism. 127 Sources . 57 Sources . 135 Further Reading . 57 Further Reading . 135 Suggested Search Terms . 58 Suggested Search Terms . 136 THECONVERGENCEOFTHETWAIN LILACS (by Amy Lowell) ....... 137 (by Thomas Hardy) ..........59 Author Biography . 138 Author Biography . 60 Poem Summary . 139 Poem Text . 60 Themes . 141 Poem Summary . 61 Style . 143 Themes . 62 Historical Context . 144 Style . 64 Critical Overview. 147 Historical Context . 65 Criticism. 148 Critical Overview. 67 Sources . 158 Criticism. 68 Further Reading . 158 Sources . 77 Suggested Search Terms . 158 Further Reading . 77 Suggested Search Terms . 77 PHENOMENAL WOMAN (by Maya Angelou) ......... 159 A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM Author Biography . 160 (by Edgar Allan Poe)..........78 Poem Summary . 161 Author Biography . 79 Themes . 161 Poem Text . 80 Style . 163 Poem Summary . 80 Historical Context . 165 Themes . 81 Critical Overview. 167 Style . 83 Criticism. 168 Historical Context . 84 Sources . 179 Critical Overview. 86 Further Reading . 179 Criticism. 87 Suggested Search Terms . 180 Sources . 96 Further Reading . 97 RECESSIONAL Suggested Search Terms . 98 (by Rudyard Kipling)......... 181 Author Biography . 181 THE HISTORY TEACHER Poem Text . 183 (by Billy Collins)...........99 Poem Summary . 183 Author Biography . 99 Themes . 185 Poem Text . 100 Style . 187 Poem Summary . 101 Historical Context . 188 vi Poetry for Students, Volume 42 (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents Critical Overview. 189 Themes . 266 Criticism. 191 Style . 268 Sources . 201 Historical Context . 269 Further Reading . 201 Critical Overview. 271 Suggested Search Terms . 202 Criticism. 272 Sources . 283 SERENE WORDS Further Reading . 283 (by Gabriela Mistral) ........ 203 Suggested Search Terms . 284 Author Biography . 204 Poem Summary . 205 THE WILD SWANS AT COOLE Themes . 206 (by William Butler Yeats) ....... 285 Style . 208 Author Biography . 286 Historical Context . 209 Poem Text . 286 Critical Overview. 212 Poem Summary . 287 Criticism. 212 Themes . 288 Sources . 221 Style . 290 Further Reading . 222 Historical Context . 291 Suggested Search Terms . 222 Critical Overview. 293 Criticism. 293 RIME 140 (by Francesco Petrarch) .... 223 Sources . 299 Author Biography . 224 Further Reading . 300 Poem Summary . 224 Suggested Search Terms . 300 Themes . 226 Style . 228 THE WORLD IS NOT A PLEASANT PLACE Historical Context . 229 TO BE (by Nikki Giovanni) ...... 301 Critical Overview. 231 Author Biography . 302 Criticism. 231 Poem Text . 303 Sources . 236 Poem Summary . 303 Further Reading . 237 Themes . 304 Suggested Search Terms . 237 Style . 307 Historical Context . 307 TELL ALL THE TRUTH BUT TELL IT SLANT Critical Overview. 310 (by Emily Dickinson)......... 238 Criticism. 311 Author Biography . 239 Sources . 322 Poem Text . 240 Further Reading . 323 Poem Summary . 240 Suggested Search Terms . 324 Themes . 241 Style . 243 GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS.... 325 Historical Context . 244 Critical Overview. 247 CUMULATIVE AUTHOR/TITLE INDEX . 347 Criticism. 248 Sources . 262 CUMULATIVE NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY Further Reading . 262 INDEX............. 359 Suggested Search Terms . 263 SUBJECT/THEME INDEX ...... 369 WHAT WERE THEY LIKE? (by Denise Levertov)......... 264 CUMULATIVE INDEX OF FIRST LINES . 375 Author Biography . 265 Poem Summary . 265 CUMULATIVE INDEX OF LAST LINES . 383 Poetry for Students, Volume 42 vii (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Just a Few Lines on a Page I have often thought that poets have the easiest few simple words conjure up whole worlds. We do job in the world. A poem, after all, is just a few not actually travel to different times and different lines on a page, usually not even extending mar- cultures, but the poems get into our minds, they gin to margin—how long would that take to find what little we know about the places they are write, about five minutes? Maybe ten at the talking about, and then they make that little bit most, if you wanted it to rhyme or have a repeat- blossom into a bouquet of someone else’s life. ing meter. Why, I could start in the morning and Poets make us think we are following simple, produce a book of poetry by dinnertime.